Hey look I'm not dead! Just suuuuper busy. But, after rereading the Lunar Chronicles I couldn't get this out of my head. This story takes place three years after the coronation of Winter as queen of Luna, and Cinder has spent this time on Luna. Other characters will be showing up shortly, including Wolf, Scarlet, Thorne and Cress. Please read and review!

Cinder fiddled with the control switches as the Eastern Commonwealth's lush form finally appeared through the clouds. The ballast systems, which were completely useless in space but had saved her multiple times during risky missions within in the Earth's atmosphere, were working fine. The only anomaly was a small dent in the ship's hull near enough to the fuel cells for the computer to remind her every thirty seconds.

"Hull breach near fuel cell three," the mechanical voice called out in a slightly tinny Lunar accent.

"Yeah, yeah," Cinder grumbled. "Is there any way to shut you up?"

"Mute action denied due to extenuating circumstances."

"What extenuating circumstances?"

"Hull breach near fuel cell three."

Cinder let out a loud huff and put the ship on autopilot before swiveling around in her chair and unscrewing one of the speakers.

"Improper use of-" the voice finally shut off as she cut one of the wires. The cyborg smiled and turned back to the main control screen. She was hovering over New Beijing now, close enough to identify some of the buildings she'd seen since childhood. There were three new towers, one of which was built out of the signature sparkling Lunar material, that had been built since that last time she'd been home. The rubble was long gone, and the streets of New Beijing were full of hover vehicles. Her smile dropped when she caught sight of her enormous smiling face grinning out at her from one of the large billboards near the city center. The words "Cyborgs are people too!" ran under the image.

"So much for anonymity…" she grumbled, tugging on her newly cut hair. The only photos the Earthen Union had of her came from right before Winter's ascension to the throne, since then she'd kept out of the public's eye after moving to Luna for the next three years. But the image that smiled at her was definitely new, complete with her shorter hair and tattoo on her right ear. The tattoo, a winding peony flower, covered the ugly red scar where Levana had nearly torn her ear off in a fit of rage.

Finally the ship left the main city and neared the landing zone near the fortress at the western edge of the metropolis. The architectural model was based on the original Beijing palace that was destroyed by an air raid by Lunar troops, but was much more secure and modern as well as more open to the people. The gardens, which were once completely shut off to the public, were now open daily and were usually full of the citizens of New Beijing. At the center a statue of Emperor Kai had his hands open in welcome, the artist had obviously taken some liberties with his height and width. She could just imagine Kai's reaction to the statue's unveiling, he had probably been too polite to suggest a different artist.

She hovered over the landing pad for a few moments to lower the landing gear and slowly lowered the ship to the ground. The landing was surprisingly graceful, considering her utterly awful earlier attempts, and she was rather proud of herself. She stood, ran a hand through her hair and placed a hand on the door panel.

The metal doors opened with a quiet "whoosh" and Cinder stepped out into the hazy New Beijing sunshine. The smell of a dozen different flowers wafted through the air, masking the slightly metallic scent the city gave off. She took in the bright sunlight for a few moments before taking the final steps off the ramp and onto Earthen soil-

"WARNING BREACH NEAR FUEL CELL THREE."

Cinder jumped and her feet tangled up in one another, sending her tumbling. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for what would likely be a rather embarrassing and very un-princesslike spill when she felt strong hands steady her.

She cracked an eyelid and nearly lost her footing again when she saw Kai's unmistakable copper-brown eyes only inches from her own.

"Hi," he breathed, giving her a tentative smile as he settled her back on her feet. Cinder smoothed her blouse and started playing with her gloves before she remembered she hadn't worn gloves for nearly two years. Finally, with a steadying breath, she glanced up at him.

Kai looked almost as uncomfortable as she felt, although he still kept his regal composure while she was fairly certain she looked as red as one of Scarlet's tomatoes by now. His hair was a bit longer, swept back out of his face for once, and the circles under his eyes weren't nearly as obvious as they had been three years before. They were still noticeable, though, and she felt a sudden rush of worry and sympathy before she reminded herself that political allies didn't worry themselves over each other's sleep, or lack thereof.

"Your majesty, it's nice to see you again." She finally choked out, giving him a shallow bow. Kai's smile dropped and she felt a twinge of guilt, though she wasn't sure what for.

"Lady Cinder, I assure you the pleasure is all mine." She winced internally at how cold his tone suddenly became, but she tried to shake it off. Political allies didn't need to like each other, they just needed to work together.

And loving each other was absolutely out of the question.

Yay? Nay? Wondering why on earth I would ever write this? Let me know with your review!

Thanks, Circeking